UNITY = SUCCESS
Grange – Farmer’s Alliance – Populist Party
1867-Oliver Kelley started the firstNational Grangeof the Patrons of Husbandry AKA the Grange it began as a non-political group whose goals were to stimulate farm families (social, educational, and fraternal)Milton Grange
1880's Northwest Farmers' Alliancebegan in Chicago and spread throughout the Midwest. By 1890, it had 2 million members.
1886-Colored Farmers National Allianceaddressed the needs of African-American farmers in the South and in the Midwest. By 1890, it had between 1 and 1.5 million members.
1889 - Farmers and Laborers' Union of Americawas a regional association in the Southwest. By 1890, it had 3 million members.
Munn v.Illinois(1877)– Railroad discrimination against farmers led to pro-farming legislation in theGrange Laws. These laws were challenged by large corporations, but the Supreme Court ruled in favor of state regulation because it had adirect effect on the general public.In its ruling, the court upheld the right of state legislatures to regulate railroad rates.
"Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite wrote the majority opinion. In it he stated that private property becomes subject to regulation by the government through its 'police powers' when the property is devoted to the public interest" Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, eds., The Reader's Companion to American History (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991) 759.
"Common carriers exercise a sort of public office, and have duties to perform in which the public is interested.... Their business is, therefore, 'affected with a public interest.'"-- (From the majority opinion of Chief Justice Waite.)
After this legal victory, the Grange backed away from political activism. In addition, improved agricultural conditions in the Midwest caused membership to drop.
Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific RR Co. v. IL (1886)– Reversal of 1877 decision, only the federal government was declared able to regulate interstate commerce.
1892 - The Populist Party-In 1890, farmers elected 5 United States senators, 6 governors, and 46 congressmen. Encouraged by this electoral success, farmers again set their sights on a national coalition. The three major farmers' organizations held a convention in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1892. Six principal demands emerged from this meeting
THE POPULIST PARTY and THE OMAHA PLATFORM
InJuly 1892,the members of the People's Party of America, also known as the Populists, gathered in Omaha to organize a national reform effort. Their platform, largely the work of Ignatius Donnelly of Minnesota, stated their main grievances and hopes for change. The party also nominated General James B. Weaver as their candidate for president. Weaver received more than a million votes and carried four western states. As you examine the Populist Party platform, think about the nation's economic and political situation in 1892.
- A permanent union of all working classes
- Wealth for the workers
- Government ownership of railroads
- Government ownership of all communications systems
- More flexible and fair distribution of the national currency
- No more ownership of land by those who do not actually use it
As it turned out, the Populists' less radical demands, such as their call for a secret ballot, a graduated income tax, and the direct election of Senators, became law within twenty years.
A QUICK REVIEW OF PANICS
The Panic of 1893Triggered by the failure of the National Cordage Company in May and marked by many bank failures and business bankruptcies later in the year, this panic exacerbated an already serious economic decline.
The causes wereworldwide, but in theUnited States the conflict over the coinage of silver, which was advocated by groups hurt by the long deflationary cycle, was a major factor.
In 1894,Jacob Coxey, an Ohio businessman, organized a protest march of workers from Ohio to Washington, DC. Coxey hoped that this march would force thefederal government to provide assistanceto workers during the Panic of 1893.Coxey's Army,as it eventually became known, reached the nation's capital with only six hundred marchers. Local police arrested Coxey and the march's other leaders.
The presidential election of 1896 pitted Republican William McKinley against William Jennings Bryan, who won both Democratic and People's Party endorsements. While McKinley gave speeches to thousands of visitors in his hometown of Canton, Ohio, Bryan barnstormed around the nation by railroad.
THE POPULIST PARTY
The Wizard of Oz as a Parable for Populism
The Election of 1896
Participation of Eligible Voters: 79.3%
Review Key Elections in American History
Financing likewise changed radically. Under the Second and Third Party Systems, parties financed their campaigns through patronage; nowcivil service reformwas undercutting that revenue, and entirely new, outside sources of funding became critical.Mark Hannasystematically told nervous businessmen and financiers that he had a business plan to win the election, and then billed them for their share of the cost. Hanna spent $3.5 million in three months for speakers, pamphlets posters and rallies that all warned of doom and anarchy if Bryan should win, and offered prosperity and pluralism underWilliam McKinley. Party loyalty itself weakened as voters were switching between parties much more often. It became respectable to declare oneself an “independent.”
The RepublicanMcKinleywon a sweeping victory in the electoral college, with 271 electoral votes toBryan's 176. The popular vote was much closer: 7,102,246 to 6,492,559. Most of the votes cast for Bryan were Silver Democratic